Gene "Red" Curry from Atwood (class of 1989) was one of the best wrestlers I have ever seen. Placed 2nd at 119 as a freshman, 3rd at 126 as a sophomore, 3rd at 133 as a junior, and 3rd at 140 as a senior. Red's best shot at a state title was his junior year when he soundly defeated Lance Shephard from Hoxie in the NWKL finals, and then again in the Regional finals. Shephard was a senior and the defending state champion after beating Wes Harding the previous year. Curry was upset in the quarters at state and Shephard went on to repeat. Curry's senior year he lost 1st round. Curry's 1st round loss was a blessing in disguise as he pinned every opponent through the backside which propelled Atwood to win the state title in 1989 by 2.5 points over Plainville. Red was definitely one of the best wrestlers to ever wrestle in Kansas, just never won the big one.